“African players are no longer afraid to dream higher” – Kondogbia

Olympique de Marseille/Facebook

Central Africa Republic national team star Geoffrey Kondogbia has hailed the tough mindset of African players, stating that players from the continent are now daring to dream higher than before.

The Olympique Marseille utility player switched allegiance from France to represent the Central African Republic in 2018 after collecting 57 youth national team caps for France where he was born.

The 32-year-old, who won the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup with France in Turkey, played five times for Les Bleus in non-competitive games before turning to feature for the country of his parents.

The former Atletico Madrid player believes African players have now got a stronger mindset which was evident at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where Morocco reached the last four.

“African players have now chosen to dream, something we might not have dared to do before, even though the talent was always there. What’s changing now is the ambition. That’s the key.”

“We’re no longer afraid to aim high. There’s a belief now that we can compete, that we can win, that we can make history.”

“When you see Morocco doing that, it plants a seed in the minds of other teams. It tells everyone else: yes, it’s possible.” He said.

“This is a new era,” he affirms. “We’re not just producing great players—we’re producing teams that believe in themselves, that play with a purpose, and that are aiming for the very top.”

Kondogbia has enjoyed a long career at the highest level, having played for clubs such as Sevilla, Valencia, Inter Milan, and Atlético Madrid before joining Marseille.

He has played 23 games for Olympique Marseille in the French Ligue 1 this season. Marseille currently sit second on the league table with 55 points, 23 points behind runaway winners Paris Saint-Germain after 30 matches.